Egg handling equipment



Feb. 9, 1965 o. c. NIEDERER ETAL 3,163,950

EGG HANDLING EQUIPMENT Original Filed Jan. 11, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1LINVENTORS 0 770 C. N/E'DEAER BY HEKBE/QTO. NlEDE/PER Mfg/(A47 ATTORNEYFeb. 9, 1965 o. c. NIEDERER ETAL 3,168,950

EGG HANDLING EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan. 11, 1960INVENTORS 0770 6', /V/EDE/?E/? BY HERBERT O. N/EDEREI? United StatesPatent Ofilice 3,168,950 Patented Feb. 9, 1965 3,168,950 EGG HANDLINGEQUIPMENT Otto C. Niederer, Bear Tavern Road, and Herbert G. Niederer,Church Road, both of Titusville, NJ.

Original application Jan. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 1,741, new

Patent No. 3,077,257, dated Feb. 12, B63. Divided and this applicationJan. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 253,086

2 Claims. (Cl. 198-32) This invention relates to egg handling equipmentand is directed particularly to egg conveying means whereby the rate andmanner in which the eggs are moved at different stations along a path oftravel are varied to permit the most efficient handling thereof. Thisapplication is a division of our copending application Serial No. 1,741,filed Ianuary 11, 1960, now Patent 3,077,257, issued Feb. 12, 1963.

In the handling of eggs in modern plants, it is frequently necessary totransfer a full tray, consisting of 30 eggs, from one point to anotherwhereas the operations of candling and grading eggs requires each egg tobe inspected and weighed separately. Moreover, the rate at which eggscan be passed through a candling station and a weighing station is notalways the same as the rate at which they can be handled at loading andpacking stations. For this reason, it is frequently found that eggs willaccumulate at one station while other stations are waiting for eggs.Moreover, in the candling of eggs it has been found that the candlingoperation can be speeded up considerably if the eggs are arranged sothat the larger ends thereof in which the air cell is present are alwaysdisposed at the same side of the candler. This arrangement of the eggssimplifies inspection and assures greater accuracy in candling the eggs.

In accordance with the present invention, novel means are provided fortransferring eggs smoothly and continuously from one station to anotherfor performing diiferent operations thereon, whereas the rate and mannerin which the eggs are moved at each station is coordinated and adaptedto the conditions or types of equipment located at each station. Theconstruction is particularly designed so as to arrange the eggs in thebest position for candling.

In the preferred form of the equipment described herein, the eggs arereceived in bulk, that is in groups of 30 at a time, and are placed on aconveyor with their larger ends upward as they are transferred from acrate or flats at a loading station. The eggs are then arranged andtransferred for movement in single file through an egg candling stationwith the larger ends of the eggs located on the same side of the candlerfor speedier and more ac curate candling. From the candler, the eggs aresupplied in multiple rows to egg grading or other equipment. Themovement of the eggs is such that each station may operate at the mostefiicient speed without accumulation or lack of eggs at any location.

Accordingly, the principal object of the invention is to provide novelegg handling or transfer means whereby a continuous and uniform flow ofeggs may be maintained through various stations and operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel conveying means foreggs whereby the rate and manner of movement of the eggs at differentpoint will auto matically be varied.

A specific object of the invention is to supply eggs to a candler withthe larger ends of all of the eggs positioned on the same side of thecandler.

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide novelmeans for receiving eggs in bulk and causing said eggs to be transferredfor movement in single file and in predetermined alignment.

These and other objects and features of the present invention willappear from the following description thereof wherein reference is madeto the accompanying figures of the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective showing a typical egg handling system embodyingthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration showing the driving connectionsemployed in the assembly of FIG. 1:

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a portion of the receiving andaligning conveyors embodied in the assembly of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through a portion of the construction shownin FIG. 3.

In that form of the invention chosen for purposes of illustration in thedrawings, the assembly includes a loading station 2 where groups ortrays of eg s are deposited on a receiving conveyor 4 with their largerends upward. The eggs are transferred from the delivery end of thereceiving conveyor to an aligning conveyor 6 which arranges the eggs insingle file and holds the larger ends thereof facing in the samedirection. From the aligning conveyor 6 the eggs are caused to move bygravity over tracks 8 at a candling station 10 with their larger endspositioned on one side of the candler. From the candling station 10 theeggs are moved by a dividing conveyor 12 into two rows which are fed toa dual egg grader 14 at the grading station 16. From the grading station16 the eggs are moved by a take-away conveyor 18 to the trays 20 at apacking station.

The movement of the eggs to and through each station not only takesplace continuously but involves a different arrangement and speed ofmovement of the eggs at each station for the most efiicient handlingthereof. A single source of power, such as the motor 22 which drives theegg grader, may be used to coordinate the operation of all of theelements of the assembly. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the egg grader maybe of the type shown in Patent No. 2,246,597 and motor 22 may be used toactuate the grader conveyor bar 24. At the same time, the motor 22 maydrive the shaft 26 through bevel gears 28. The shaft 26 is provided atits opposite ends with a chain 30 for driving the shaft 31 of dividingconveyor 12. The dividing conveyor 12 embodies chains 92 which driveshaft 32 at the lower end of the dividing conveyor 12. Chains 92 passabout sprockets on a shaft 32 to which a spur gear 34 is secured. Spurgear 34 drives the sprocket 36 about which a chain 38 passes foractuating the aligning conveyor 6. At the same time, the chain 38 passesabout the sprocket 40 which drives bevel gears 42 to actuate crank 44for operating ratchet arm 46 and ratchet wheel 48 whereby the receivingconveyor 4 is caused to advance step by step when the aligning conveyor6 has discharged its eggs onto the tracks 8 of the candling station 10.

The driving connections shown and described are illustrative of thosewhich can be used and have been found in practice to assure uniformoperation of all the elements of the assembly so as to maintain thedesired supply of eggs at each station without any accumulation orjamming of the eggs at any point. However, other driving connectionsmay, obviously, be substituted for those shown. Thus, if desired, eachof the elements of the assembly may be individually driven by respectivemotor and gear combinations.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in the drawings, thereceiving station is in the form of a table 50 having the receivingconveyor 4- arranged horizontally near the top thereof. The receivingconveyor has chains 52 at opposite sides thereof which extend about asprocket 54 at the delivery end thereof. The sprocket 54 is securedawaoso to the shaft 56 to which ratchet wheel 48 is attached throughchain 57. Therefore, when the ratchet wheel is advanced by operation ofratchet arm 46, the upper run of the receiving conveyor is advanced onestep to transfer six eggs at a time from the receiving conveyor 4 to thealigning conveyor 6. For this purpose, the chains 52 of the receivingconveyor are provided with a plurality of transversely extending slats58 having egg receiving openings 69 therein. These slats, whenpositioned side by side on the upper run of the conveyor, present eggreceiving openings arranged to receive groups of eggs in the samearrangement as they are carried by crates, flats or conventional egglifting means.

Eggs are normally arranged in egg cases or on flats with the larger endof each egg facing upward. Therefore, the eggs can be transferred ontothe receiving conveyor in bulk or groups with the larger ends thereofupward without requiring special handling of the eggs. As the slats 53pass about the sprocket 54 with the chain 52 they tilt each row of eggsforward so that the eggs fall outward onto a platform 62 between theplates 64 of the aligning conveyor 6, as best seen in FIG. 4. The largerends of the eggs are, therefore, positioned on the far side of theplatform 62 and are prevented from turning end for end by means of theplates 64 of the aligning conveyor. A blocking bar 66 may be positionedbeneath the slats 58 where they pass about the sprockets 54 to preventsmall eggs from falling between the slats as they spread apart whiledumping the rows of eggs onto the aligning conveyor. It is found inpractice that the blocking bar 66 does not cause the eggs to turn endfor end as they are transferred from the receiving conveyor to thealigning conveyor.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the plates 64 of the aligning conveyor 6 arecarried by posts 68 secured to the chain 70 and extend substantiallyperpendicular to the path of travel of chain 70, projecting downwardfrom the lower run of the chain 70 into positions parallel to theplatform 62. The adjacent sides of the plates 64 are cut away as shownat 72 so that they cooperate to form egg guiding recesses which serve tohold the rows of eggs deposited on platform 62 with their long axesparallel and with their larger ends on the far side of the conveyor asthey are advanced by movement of the aligning conveyor 6 toward thedischarge end thereof.

As the plates 64 of the aligning conveyor reach the discharge end of thelower run, the posts 68 on chain 7% swing each plate upward and awayfrom the adjacent horizontal plate to provide room for discharge of theegg carried between the adjacent plates, while the following platepushes the egg forward to discharge the egg from the aligning conveyor6. In this way, the eggs are pushed forward one after another inpredetermined spaced relation and are discharged in single file with thelarger ends thereof arranged on a common side onto the inclined tracks 8of the candler 10 or other suitable egg receiving means.

It will be apparent that the aligning conveyor 6 is not limited in useto transferring eggs from the receiving conveyor 4 to the candler 10but, instead, may be employed in connection with substantially any typeof egg processing equipment where it is desired to supply the eggs tosuch equipment in single file with the long axes of the eggs transverseto the direction of movement and with the larger ends thereof arrangedon a common side. The aligning conveyor 6 is also useful in anyoperation wherein it is desired to space the eggs predetermineddistances apart or to regulate their rate of movement from one positionto another.

The equipment also may be used in handling, sorting or arranging othertypes of articles in continuous asembly line operations. In view thereofit will be apparent that the combination and arrangement of the elementsand the form and construction thereof are capable of many variations andadaptations. It should, therefore, be understood that the particularembodiment of the invention shown in the drawings and described above isintended to be illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scopeof the invention.

We claim:

1. Egg handling means comprising an aligning conveyor, egg supplyingmeans for supplying eggs to said aligning conveyor in successive rowsand means for receiving eggs discharged from said aligning conveyor;said aligning conveyor comprising an endless chain, a pair of sprocketmeans supporting said chain substantially at right angles to said eggsupplying means, means for rotating at least one of said sprocket meansto cause movement of said chain, a plurality of posts secured to saidchain at predetermined spaced intervals and extending substantiallyperpendicular to said chain, a plurality of plate members each securedto a respective one of said posts and projecting substantiallyperpendicular thereto, platform means positioned below the lower run ofsaid plate members and extending parallel to said lower run to receiveeggs from said egg supplying means and to support said eggs duringmovement of said eggs by said aligning conveyor.

2. Egg handling means comprising an aligning conveyor, egg supplyingmeans for supplying eggs to said aligning conveyor in succesive rows andmeans for receiving eggs discharged from said aligning conveyor; saidaligning conveyor comprising an endless chain, a pair of sprocket meanssupporting said chain substantially at right angles to said eggssupplying means, means for rotating at least one of said sprocket meansto cause movement of said chain, a plurality of posts secured to saidchain at predetermined spaced intervals and extending substantiallyperpendicular to said chain, a plurality of plate members each securedto a respective one of said posts and projecting substantiallyperpendicular thereto, said plate members being formed to cooperate withadjacent plate members to maintain eg s in predetermined axialorientation and at predetermined spaced intervals, platform meanspositioned below the lower run of said plate members and extendingparallel to said lower run to receive eggs from said egg supplying meansand to support said eggs during movement of said eggs by said platemembers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,135,778 Wyland Nov. 8, 1938 2,635,734 Hampton Apr. 21, 1953 2,684,748Sneed July 27, 1954

1. EGG HANDLING MEANS COMPRISING AN ALIGNING CONVEYOR, EGG SUPPLYINGMEANS FOR SUPPLYING EGGS TO SAID ALIGNING CONVEYOR IN SUCCESSIVE ROWSAND MEANS FOR RECEIVING EGGS DISCHARGED FROM SAID ALIGNING CONVEYOR;SAID ALIGNING CONVEYOR COMPRISING AN ENDLESS CHAIN, A PAIR OF SPROCKETMEANS SUPPORTING SAID CHAIN SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID EGGSUPPLYING MEANS, MEANS FOR ROTATING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SPROCKET MEANSTO CAUSE MOVEMENT OF SAID CHAIN, A PLURALITY OF POSTS SECURED TO SAIDCHAIN AT PREDETERMINED SPACED INTERVALS AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLYPERPENDICULAR TO SAID CHAIN, A PLURALITY OF PLATE MEMBERS EACH SECUREDTO A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID POSTS AND PROJECTING SUBSTANTIALLYPERPENDICULAR THERETO, PLATFORM MEANS POSITIONED BELOW THE LOWER RUN OFSAID PLATE MEMBERS AND EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID LOWER RUN TO RECEIVEEGGS FROM SAID EGG SUPPLYING MEANS AND TO SUPPORT SAID EGGS DURINGMOVEMENT OF SAID EGGS BY SAID ALIGNING CONVEYOR.